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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25921534">Born of Flame, Forged of Steel</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bamf_babe/pseuds/Bamf_babe'>Bamf_babe</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ba Sing Se, Blue Spirit Zuko (Avatar), But he's trying, Curses, Identity Issues, M/M, POV Zuko (Avatar), Secret Identity, Spirit Zuko (Avatar), Spirits, Zuko (Avatar) Has Issues, Zuko (Avatar)-centric, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:49:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,156</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25921534</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bamf_babe/pseuds/Bamf_babe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zuko didn't ask for this. For anything of this. He wanted to leave his Uncle, to find his own path in the Earth Kingdom, cast aside from everything he once knew. It wasn't fair, but it was his own choice. </p><p>Instead, he found himself burdened with a curse, now forced to do the bidding of the Blue Spirit, transformed against his will. How can he regain his honor and go home when he is no longer human? </p><p> </p><p>AKA the author is struggling to write this summary but basically Zuko can now turn into the Blue Spirit Magic Girl Anime style</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>251</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Born of Flame, Forged of Steel</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Zuko is alone. He is riding his stolen ostrich horse through unfamiliar land, a barren landscape. The gait of the animal is strange to him, rocking back and forth, almost off-balance in an odd way. It is nothing like the purposeful, rapid stride of the eel-hounds Zuko is used to. Just like everything else in his life recently, it is all-together unknown. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He does not control this animal well. When they reach a decrepit bridge over a ravine, it breaks as they cross it. The ostrich horse flies out of control and Zuko simply hangs on, waiting for the animal to calm down. He is hungry, he is so hungry, but there is no food left in his bag and his stomach is burning from the inside out. His cheeks are hollowed from so long without food. Then, from a distance, he can smell cooking meat. He can practically hear the sizzle of the meat, taste the fat on his tongue. He looks down the ridge and sees a couple cooking. He reaches for his swords, thinking of how easy it would be to take from them. Zuko looks at the mask in his bag. They would never know who he is. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then the woman turns. She is pregnant. Zuko turns away in shame and continues on his journey. He thinks of the people he stole food from before, in the last village, when he was still with his Uncle. They had likely had families too. They weren’t wealthy, weren’t prosperous, they were random people just like the couple on the ridge. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He decides to stop for the night the moment the sun starts to set. There is a rock outcropping not far off the road that looks perfect. It is isolated and you can see the road from the outcrop but the road cannot see behind the rocks. Therefore, Zuko would be protected from prying eyes but still able to see the road. It was a perfect solution. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laid out a small bedroll and curled up inside of it. The air grew colder at night in the Earth Kingdom. In the Fire Nation, the air stayed warm throughout the night in the dry months. He missed home so badly it felt like a physical ache beneath his chest. Zuko hoped that one day he would be able to return home, no matter the cost. He closed his eyes and the world went dark.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The air was foggy and grey sun hung in the sky when Zuko opened his eyes. It looked like the forest he had fallen asleep in. The trees seemed the same and the rock outcropping he was laying behind was identical to the one he had fallen asleep next to. However, the grey sun and the fog around him were entirely new. He couldn’t have been sleeping for this long, for long enough for the sun to rise to the center of the sky. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, just in the treeline, Zuko saw a flash of blue. He gripped his dual dao tightly and walked towards the figure. It jumped out of sight again and Zuko growled before giving chase. It was a figure dressed in black with something blue on its face, he ran through the trees, uncaring of where he was going, intent on catching the figure in front of him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He finally caught up to the figure and tackled it to the ground. It dissolved into mist as Zuko’s swords went around it, sending him tumbling to the ground. His swords fell out of his hands as he lost his grip and he heard a chuckling from behind him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko turned, facing the figure and gasped. It was a fearsome face, blue skin with sharp tusks sticking out of its mouth. It had white horns on its head and a large white nose. Its hair was also white, long, and yarn-like on its head and upper lip, forming a mustache stretching across its face. Its eyes were wide and dark and bulging, staring unblinkingly at Zuko. Then, this fearsome creature opened its mouth and started laughing, its mouth moving into a smile that showed off rows and rows of perfectly straight shining white teeth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello little thief,” the spirit, there could be no other explanation for what this thing was, said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko was shaking, he had never encountered a spirit before and his heart was hammering out of his chest. He said nothing and the spirit tilted its head, grin unnerving and wide as ever. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you not recognize me?” The spirit said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko shook his head, he had never seen a spirit so terrifying before. It looks like a demon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It sighed and its face began to shift, the features smoothing out into something more simple until instead of its previous terrifying visage there was a simple blue and white wooden mask Zuko knew all too well. Its body changed as well, becoming less bulky, smaller, thinner, glad in black, easy to move in clothing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Recognize me now?” The spirit asked and Zuko gasped. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Blue Spirit,” Zuko said and the spirit shrugged, jumping off its rock and landing in front of Zuko. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not what I would call myself but I do not mind the name.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But,” Zuko sputtered, trying to find the words, “You are a myth, a character from Love Amongst the Dragons. You aren’t real!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The spirit leaned in close, the mask leering at Zuko from above and he couldn’t see anything in the dark eyeholes of the mask, nothing but the black, “Every myth has its basis in facts, Prince Zuko,” the spirit said, “And a Yokai like me simply needs belief.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko’s heart had slowed but now he was shaking. He had been using a Spirit’s name. A Real Spirit’s name. This was not simply a character but rather a true spirit with a domain and a purpose and he had used its name without permission and without care. This was a grave offense and he hoped the Blue Spirit was feeling merciful. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure you are wondering what I want from you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko’s face twisted into a scowl, “Just tell me and get it over with,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Blue Spirit laughed again, “I see you’ve been using my name across the Earth Kingdom. Racked up quite a reputation haven’t we little prince? Wanted posters across the Kingdom. I would be proud, but there’s just one little problem. You aren’t acting in my name any longer. I am a spirit of tricksters and travelers, of wanderers. I take justice for those who cannot take justice for themselves yet you have used my name in vain, attacking and stealing without care for your targets. What have you to say?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko flinches, “It was necessary,” he said, his voice not shaking despite his inner turmoil, “I did what I had to do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Necessary,” the spirit scoffs, “All cowardly men say their course is necessary. No, Prince Zuko, I think you must repay me for your crimes of cowardice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He bites his tongue. Cowardice. Weak. Of course, Zuko is weak, what else would he be? That is why his father exiled him, why he wandered alone in the Earth Kingdom. He was a coward and he knew it. The Blue Spirit knew it too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko was on the ground and he watched as the Blue Spirit’s mask began to leave and a new face took its place, its clothes changed as well and Zuko couldn’t move, too transfixed by this transformation. In a few moments, he was looking up at a carbon copy of himself in full fire-nation armor. The Blue Spirit, with Zuko’s face, leaned back down towards him and when the spirit spoke it was with his voice, “You like to steal faces so often,” The spirit said, “How about I steal yours?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then the spirit above him moved his hands and the dual dao swords flew into them. The Blue Spirit brought them together, they were wreathed in grey spirit-fire, and then Zuko watched as his mirrored face from above grinned unnaturally and plunged the flaming swords into his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko opened his eyes to find himself standing upright. in the woods, he looked back and could see the outcropping he had slept in. He looked down to see his swords drawn but his hands were covered in black gloves. However, he did not have time to think about this as he heard a scream from his right. Immediately, he was off, running and dodging roots as he raced towards the sound. His legs were working fast that his mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He ran into a clearing and saw a man surrounded by a group of soldiers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We know it was your son who threw those eggs,” one of the soldiers was saying, “give him up now and we will let you live.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I won’t give up Li!” the man said, holding his ground. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The soldier laughed before earthbending a large boulder the man’s way. Zuko rushed in between the man and the soldier and brought his swords up. They cut through the rock as if it was made of paper. This was surprising. They shouldn’t have done that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko tried not to think about it too much. He was in the middle of a fight. His body went on autopilot, dodging and weaving through the Earthbender’s attacks, making sure no rocks came close to the man we were protecting behind him. He couldn’t think of why he felt like it was no necessary to protect this man but there was an instinct screaming inside of him that he had to help him and Zuko was rarely one to ignore his instincts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was faster than he had ever been, stronger than he had ever been in within a few moments, he had kicked a rock back at the earthbender, hitting him in the head and sending him to the ground. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko looked back at the man he was protecting. Simple clothes, no travel pack. A peasant from a nearby village, likely coerced out here by the man Zuko had just taken down. The man he saved looked at Zuko in happiness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, kind sir!” The man, “I have a wife and son, and well, our son can get into a bit of trouble sometimes and this man had been threatening us for a while now but you have taken care of him. Thank you so much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko couldn’t think of anything to say, so he inclined his head and then ran off into the trees. He hoped the man hadn’t gotten too good of a look at him. His face was...unfortunately recognizable and he didn’t want words getting around about his location. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reached up to run a hand through his hair but his hand hit a surface first. What? Zuko pressed his hands against his face, feeling the familiar outlines of a mask. What was this? He hadn’t felt the weight of a mask on his face as he fought, didn’t have the limited vision caused by the mask. Zuko then looked down at his clothes and noticed more clearly now that he was wearing all black, in a familiar outfit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the heat of battle, Zuko hadn’t noticed these details, too caught up in the fight, the rush of combat. Now, he was all too aware that he had somehow changed into the Blue Spirit costume. He tried to pull the mask off but it wouldn’t budge, would move. He blinked, trying desperately to tell if his face still existed under the mask or if he was a horrible monster like the Blue Spirit itself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound of rushing water came to him and Zuko turned towards the sound. Water, yes, he could look at his reflection in a stream. He ran towards the stream and when he reached it the sight he saw was not a surprise but was still shocking all the same. He was in full Blue Spirit regalia. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He no longer even had the black clothes he was wearing, where had they come from? Who was responsible for this? It was so strange, so unwelcome. Zuko tried to light a small fire in the palm of his hand to get a better look at his reflection but stopped. He couldn’t feel his inner fire. He couldn’t firebend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His breathing began to increase rapidly. It wasn’t as when Ty Lee took away his bending, when he could feel the hole left behind, the gaping maw in his soul where his fire should be but wasn’t. It was not that his bending had left him. He hadn’t even noticed he couldn’t bend until this moment. It was as if he had never been a bender at all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What this what the Spirit had meant for him? To be a wandering soul, a lost representation of himself? Would Zuko wander the Earth Kingdom, masked and without his bending until he finally gave in and died? He tried to scream but no sound left his lips. He was mute as well as dead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now that he was categorizing his physical state, Zuko noticed he was no longer hungry, there was no thirst or pain. In fact, he couldn’t feel much of anything. Perhaps he wasn’t cursed. Perhaps he was dead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then the color began to leech out of the world, slowly and then all at once and Zuko turned as a chilling but familiar laugh sounded behind him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko tried to shout, but no sound left his lips, and instead, all he did was point at the spirit in an accusatory manner. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, now,” the Blue Spirit chided, still wearing Zuko’s face, “Spirits can’t talk to humans in their realm, don’t you know that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko hands leapt to his throat, spirits? Was he a spirit now? Dead before he ever had a chance to reclaim his birthright?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Blue Spirit shook his head, “I can practically hear your thoughts from here. No, you aren’t fully a spirit, no you aren’t dead, and no I am not planning to take your place within the human realm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The spirit moved fluidly from its perch to the ground. It shifted from Zuko’s own face back into its more familiar form of the black-clothed figure with the blue and white mask. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What you are, is taking the wonderful opportunity to pay me back for using my name to commit your assorted acts. The swords at your side act as a conduit for my power. When you draw them, you become me, a spirit of tricksters and wanderers. I will have tasks for you, you will complete them. You shall not be able to return to human form until you complete the task I have asked of you. Don’t try getting rid of the swords. They will always find their way back to you. You are not a bender in this spirit form because the Blue Spirit is not a bender. It is that simple.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The spirit came close to Zuko’s face, their masks almost touching. Its voice was chilling, echoing, and strangely reminiscent still to Zuko’s own. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, Prince Zuko,” it said in a lilting voice that almost reminded Zuko of Azula, “Why don’t you wake up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then Zuko was suddenly jolting up in bed, clutching at his chest and taking in huge breathes of air. The sun was just rising over the hills and he breathed, feeling the fire within him once more. He looked around and risked calling a small fire to his palm. It burned and Zuko tried to feel the flame, to refuse to let this feeling go. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was what he had experienced all a strange dream? Looking around his small campsite now, at the ostrich horse tied up near the rocks that inexplicably hadn’t been with him throughout the night, he wondered if it was all just a strange dream. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then he looked an saw the sheathed swords lying next to him. There was one way to find out. He was scared, terrified really, but when had that stopped him for even a moment? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko reached the swords and in one swift motion, unsheathed them, pulling them apart. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grey spirit-fire wrapped up his body and he jumped but by the time his feet had hit the ground he was no longer wearing the green Earth Kingdom robes but instead the black clothes of the Blue Spirit. He reached his hands up to his face and felt the wood of the mask again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So quick to know my commands?” The Blue Spirit’s voice rang in his head and Zuko spun around, searching but found no one in sight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You won’t find me within sight,” the spirit said, “Since you have called upon me, I have a task for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko felt his shoulders shaking with rage, how dare this spirit to command him like a common eel-hound. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, ah, ah,” the spirit said, “you want to return to human form once more, have access to your bending, don’t you? Then you will do as I command or be forced to wander as a spirit for all time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With anger sharp in every angle of his body, Zuko nodded just once. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good. Now, the soldier you stopped last night. He is just one of a group in the next village. They have been harassing townsfolk left and right. Go there and stop them by whatever means necessary.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then the voice of the spirit faded away and Zuko was left alone in the field. He tried to talk again but no sound came out. He was effectively mute. He knew a few hands signals from his brief childhood fantasy of becoming a Yu-Yan archer. That was until he found no skill with the bow and arrow and elected to leave it behind altogether. However, he only knew a few phrases and most people didn’t know any. It wouldn’t be an effective form of communication. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He supposed actions spoke louder than words. Zuko silently packed up his camp and got onto the ostrich horse. He sheathed his swords but saw that there was no change as there was before. The Blue Spirit must be right, he can’t change back until the task is fulfilled. The town must be just up ahead. The man he had helped wasn’t too far from where he had camped so the town itself must be close as well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, just over the crest of the next hill, he saw it. A small town nestled into a valley in these mountainous regions of the Earth Kingdom. Zuko tied up his ostrich horse just outside of town, hoping no one would come across her and his supplies and steal it and began walking into town. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a small town, likely a farming community and trading hub before the war. Now there were a few children in the mostly empty streets and a group of burly looking men in Earth Kingdom uniforms leaning against a flimsy-looking wall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They looked at Zuko, eyes narrowed. One of them looked to the town notice board across the street. There, clear as day with a wanted poster was the Blue Spirit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, well, well, boys,” one of the men said, he had a cut on his forehead and Zuko recognized him from the forest the previous night, “What do we have here?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko brought his swords out in front of him, holding them in a threatening manner. He couldn’t speak but body language could say a lot. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Looks like we have a man full of unearned confidence,” another soldier said, cracking his knuckles, small bits of Earth moving at his feet with every sharp crack. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a moment, Zuko debated if he would have to make the first move if he would be the one to start the fight, but these men were more aggressive and Zuko had to jump out of the way of a large stone within seconds. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was similar to the previous fight but on a much larger scale. The three men called up stoned from the ground and sent them Zuko’s way, he cut through all of them, steadily getting closer to the three men. One of them decided to shit tactics and instead tried to shoot rocks out of the ground at Zuko’s feet to trip him but Zuko simply used on of the stone shoots as a jumping point, leaping into the air and coming down onto the three men, a blue of steel. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They gathered rocks onto their hands in gloves and began trying to fight Zuko in close-combat. He ducked their fists and jumped up, kicking out with both legs and hitting two of the men, pushing them back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had to end this, quickly. He was getting tired, which, for a curse given to him by a spirit was an idiotic caveat, why did he still tire as a human. However, the three men were tiring as well, the large amounts of bending having taken it out of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko did a flip off the largest man, kicking him in the face and sending him to the ground. He hit him the same place as last night which caused the man immense amounts of pain and he crumpled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now the other two were warier since their leader was down. Zuko did a spinning kick that sent one man that the other to the ground. He went to punch one in the face but as his hand connected he felt something. He paused, straightened, and then reached his hand out to the man again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you hear me?” Zuko said and the man looked u at Zuko in abject fear. Interesting. It seemed that if he was physically touching someone, even though the gloves, he could communicate with them. Not perfect, but better than being cut off entirely. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You will take these men and you will leave. You are not protecting these people, you are protecting your own self-interests. They no longer need you here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His voice sounded strange to his mind. Perhaps it was because the conversation was all taking place mentally, the words not being spoken aloud. Perhaps it was the echoing quality his voice took on or the way the words seemed to crawl down his spine. It sounded inhuman. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man nodded and began to crawl to his feet, shaking the two men beside him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a fucking spirit,” the man said, “We have to leave, it’s not human, we have to leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The other two looked at Zuko who was standing over them, swords drawn and they all got up quickly and scurried away, hardly taking the time to get on their ostrich horse before leaving the town. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then someone behind him let out a small cheer and Zuko turned to see a kid staring at his from a distance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You got rid of them!” the kid shouted, “thank you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko didn’t make any motion but instead looked around, a small crowd of people had assembled, all looking closely at him and Zuko hated the attention. He moved away from the crowd, towards an alleyway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once he was alone, he heard the spirit’s voice in his head, “Good job, I will have more for you, but right now, I believe you need a rest.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then a ring of fire traveled up Zuko’s body and he sighed in relief as he felt his inner fire return. He felt his hunger return as well and he crouched down, holding his stomach as the pain returned in full force. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Footsteps echoed in the small alley and a man came up behind him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait!” The man called, looking around. Then his eyes settled on Zuko, “Ah, there you are! You looked rather different without your mask.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko glared, “How do you know I am the same person?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man gestured at Zuko’s swords and now Zuko recognized him as the man he had saved last night. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not many run into an alleyway and happen to have the exact same weapons as the masked man that just saved this town.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko looked away, “I didn’t save anyone,” he said, a scowl on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Trust me,” the man said, “those soldiers were terrorizing the town. What you did was a good and noble act.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, to ruin the dramatic moment, Zuko’s stomach decided to let out a loud growl. The man looked at him and laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah yes, I suppose even heroes need to eat. Why don’t you come back with me to my family’s farm? I could offer you food and shelter for the night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko wanted to reject the offer but he was so hungry and tired and the past day had been exhausting in any number of ways. He was beginning the feel bruises forming from his fight with the soldiers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I accept,” Zuko said and the man nodded before walking out of town. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am Gensu,” the man said, watching as Zuko untied his ostrich horse from outside the gates, “And what might I call you, Blue Spirit?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, Li,” Zuko said, apropos of anything else to say. Li was a very common name, it wouldn’t raise any eyebrows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Li? Perfect, that’s my son’s name. I’m sure you will get along fantastically.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gensu looked over Zuko’s face more closely and Zuko fought the urge to turn away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look about my older son’s age. He’s off fighting in the Earth Kingdom army right now. His battalion went missing and I plan to go and find him, but, well that night I was accosted by the soldier you saw, and honestly, if you hadn’t saved my life I would likely be dead by now. I have gone back to my family for now but once harvest is over I will go looking for my son again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko listened as they walked along the path. It was nice, Zuko thought, to know that one father would go anywhere, risk anything just to find his son. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With this burden of the Blue Spirit now on his shoulders, could Zuko ever go home? Would it be possible for Zuko to ever go to the Fire Nation, knowing that at any moment he could be called away by this curse, forced into the shape of a spirit? How could any heir to the dragon throne live like that? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko sighed. It was likely for the best that for the moment, the throne had never been further out of his reach. He wouldn’t wish Azula’s rule on anyone but at least she was likely hunting him down in the Earth Kingdom instead of terrorizing their homeland. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He would have to figure out how to break this damned curse before he could return home. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gensu and Zuko reached a small farm where you could just make out the shape of the town in the distance. It was well-built but the roof looked like it could use a little more work, the thatch seemed a bit thin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A woman with long hair and a boy ran out of the house, waving at Gensu. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dad! Did you bring him back?” the boy said, looking at Zuko. He recognized the boy as the one that had been cheering earlier int he marketplace. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gensu smiled and came over, ruffling the boy’s hair, “Yes, Li, I did. This is Li as well, you might remember him from the marketplace. He is also the one who saved my life last night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko ducked his head, his left hand clutching the reins of the ostrich horse tighter. He didn’t deserve the thanks of these people. Without the Blue Psirit forcing him to help Zuko honestly might not have helped these people. He would like to think the best of himself, would like to think that he would have protected this family no matter if he had been asked, but he would never know. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gensu would be dead and Li missing a father if not for the Blue Spirit forcing him to act. The thought made him sick. Zuko didn’t know if the sickening part was his own possible inaction or the control the spirits now had over him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman came up to Zuko and took the reins away from him gently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My name is Sela,” she said, “ I will put your steed away, why don’t you go inside and have dinner with us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko nodded, “Thank you,” he said and followed the boy, Li, inside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” the boy started, speaking rapidly, “where did you get your swords, where are you from, how long have you been the blue spirit, do you really know the avatar?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the last question, Zuko’s good eye widened and a dozen instances of capturing and immediately losing the avatar flashed through his mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“None of you business, none of your business, and again, none of your business,” Zuko said to the kid, electing to simply not respond to the questions in favor of reliving his oh-so-fun memories. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The kid pouted but Zuko settled in to eat and Sela came back into the room. He tried not to inhale the food, attempting at least a hint of decorum. As well, eating so much as so long with so little was practically a recipe for disaster. He found that out the hard way right after he and Uncle escaped the Noth Pole. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Uncle. Zuko felt a twinge of guilt remembering the broken look in his Uncle’s eyes as he left. He should have done better. Zuko clenched the bowl in his hand. He couldn’t do better now. He was cursed now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The meal was pleasant enough and Li’s boundless energy kept the conversation going, even as Zuko was mostly silent, occasionally making a statement. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was grateful for the small family who had given him shelter and food. That night, sleeping in their barn, Zuko didn’t dream of spirits for a moment. He was woken up by the sound of swinging metal. His eye shot open and he sees Li walking outside with his swords. He breathes a sigh of relief. At least the curse seems to be tied only to him and the swords. He would not have enjoyed explaining to Sela why her son was now tied to the Blue Spirit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko watches as Li jumps around, cutting off the heads of sunflowers around him. The kid begins hacking a dead tree, making small sounds. He doesn’t even notice as Zuko sneaks up behind him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Li jumps as Zuko says, “You are holding them wrong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The kid falls back in surprise and looks up at Zuko, standing up quickly. He rubs the back of his head and hands the swords back to Zuko, who holds them warily. When no grey fire appears, he breathes a sigh of relief. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keep in mind, these are dual swords. Two halves of a single weapon. Don't think of them as separate, because they're not. They're just two different parts of the same whole.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko swings around the swords carefully, demonstrating control. He cuts off some sunflower heads, turns around, and hands the swords back to Li to try. Li is a little more careful this time, and a little less awkward with the swords. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turns to Zuko once he is done his mini demonstration. Zuko smiles kindly; Lee smiles back and laughs. They begin walking away from the sunflower patch together, side by side under the full moon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think you'd really like my brother Sensu,” Li says, “He used to show me stuff like this all the time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko shrugs, “I might.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Li keeps talking, “My father is going to get him back soon,” Li says. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I believe in your father,” Zuko says and for the rest of the night, his sleep remains peaceful. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the morning, Zuko wishes to leave as soon as possible. He can’t afford to stay attached to this small family, no matter how kind they have been. The Blue  Spirit has plans for him, plans that cannot happen here in this small village. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He is packed up and ready to go when Sela runs up to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here. This ought to get you through a few meals.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko inclines his head, “Thank you,” he says and begins to set off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, Li waves at Zuko and runs up before Zuko can get far.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t you stay?” the other boy asks, “Father will be leaving soon. You can protect us, keep us safe, what if the soldiers come back?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko smirks a little to himself, he doubts the soldiers will be coming back any time soon. They view him as a spirit.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, Zuko reached into his bag and pulls out the knife his Uncle gave him as a child. It kept him safe, kept him protected. He reaches down to Li and hands it to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here. I want you to have this. Read the inscription,” he says to Li. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The kid looks confused, unsheathing the dagger and saying, “Made in Earth Kingdom.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko sighs, looking up for guidance that isn’t there, “The other one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Li turns the knife over, "Never give up without a fight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, Zuko rides off, watching as the family and their farm grows smaller behind him. He rides onward, heading wherever this winding road will take him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ostrich horse nipped at him as he rode on her. He supposed at this point he ought to name her. She needed a name. He thought of the turtle ducks in the palace, how the ones he would name would always be the ones Azula targeted. Naming something was as good as claiming it was something you treasure, something you held dear. It became just another thing the world could take away from you, another thing the world could use to hurt you. Naming this ostrich horse would be like Zuko admitting he liked it, he would be sad to see it go. In the tenuous place, he was currently in, he might lose the ostrich horse at any moment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pet the feathers at her neck and she leaned into the touch, just a bit. Zuko sighed, he was already attached, why not give her a name. He was simply delaying the inevitable. He thought to Azula’s mocking voice and smiled a bit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you like the name Zuzu?” he asked the ostrich horse. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It nudged his hand a bit as he rode her and he took it as a yes. It was nice, Zuko thought, to have a name for his travel companion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then there is a flash of White from above him and Zuko watches in disbelief as the Avatar’s bison of all things flies overhead. He can’t believe this. He wanders deep into the Earth Kingdom to avoid everyone he ever knew and yet the Avatar manages to find him. The bison seems to be moving sluggishly, however, slower than Zuko remembers and he wonders if it is sick. There are small bits of white hair floating down to where Zuko is as the Bison flies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He then hears a rumbling sound from behind him. Quickly, Zuko ducks into the trees. That doesn’t sound like a carriage or quite frankly anything he has heard before. It’s a loud, rumbling, almost metal sounding noise. Hiding in the trees, Zuko can make out the shape of a large metal contraption making its way through the forest. It is rumbling and shaking and rolling on its large wheels. Ahead of it, two eel hounds ride and Zuko catches his breath. He recognizes the riders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s Mai and Ty Lee. This means Azula can’t be far. He wonders if she somehow knows he is here, hiding in the trees if she’s not an eel hound because she is waiting to attack him. However, the machine rolls past his hiding place and he watches, completely still, as it disappears into the distance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>No one had seen him. Azula must have been inside the machine. It looks like she has taken up the mantle of chasing the avatar, clearly trying to succeed where Zuko had failed. Great. Now he had another list of ways his sister could outstrip him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head, angry. No. He was better than this, he might not be able to go home, cursed as he was, but he would be able to stop Azula from claiming victory. She wouldn’t be the one to capture the avatar, not when he had failed so often before. Azula wouldn’t take this final thing from him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if capturing the Avatar wouldn’t allow him home, even if he was considered a traitor, Zuko couldn’t let her have this victory. He began to follow the tracks left by the metal monstrosity, trotting along at a much slower pace than the machine, hoping to catch up her before it was too late. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Azula might be born lucky, but Zuko was a survivor and cursed or not he wouldn’t give up without a fight. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yeah so I don't really write ATLA fic but here u go, taking a short break from my massive Witcher fic to leave this here.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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